The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-08-31
ATORPED0 TERROR.
A NEW DYNAMITE SHIP FOR
THE UNITED STATES NAVY.
She Will Garry Pneumatic Guns
and Will Be the First of the
Kind Ever BuiIt-The
Vessel Described.

vessel DeScrlDeQ.
A dynamite tordedo boat is building
at Cramps shipyard, Philadel phia, for
the United States Government, says the
New York Commercial Adce1tisr. The
boat will be the first ever constructed for
the peculiar use to which it will be put.
1t will be built of steel, 24G feet long,
2G1 feet beam, with draft of seven feet.
Its displacement will be about 700 tons.
Its engines and boilers will develop
about 4, 1000 horse power, and, under con-
tract, it must give a speed of at least
twenty knots an hour.
The craft will only carry pneumatic
guns for throwing dynamite torpedoes
or shells. In this particular it will be a
wholly novel naval vessel. Until lately
it was impossible to make use of dyna-
mite as an explosive in shells or torpe-
does to be projected from gun, because
of the tendency of dynamite to explode
by conclusion. In 1888 a Mr.. MIclford,
of Ohio, conceived the idea of using
compressed Dir as motive force instead
of powder. He constructed a gun on
this principle. The gun was taken to
Fort Hamilton, in January, 1884, and at
tracted the attention of Lieutenant Zal
inski, of the Fifth United States Artil-
lery, who has since been experimenting
with it, or with improved guns worked
on the same principle, until he has made
what he believes is q gun of practical
utility. Lieutenant Zalinski was found
at Fort Hamilton recently, and readily
consented to give such information as he
could about the gun, the projectile and
the new ship.
"The pneumatic gum" said the lieu
tenant, lis merely long brass tube or
pipe, VARYING in thickness from quarter
of an inch to an inch. Attached to the tube
are the air reservoirs, which open into it
by cocks or valves. The three guns to
be mounted on the new ship will be
ffty-fve feet long with fifteen inch bores,
and capable of throwing shells, or, more
properly, torpedoes, containing POD
pounds of dynamite, a distance of one
mile. We really expect them to do even
better than that. The three guns will
be placed side by side, we'll forward on
the ship, and will be fixed at per-
manent angle. Any change of direction
will be accomplished by steering the
vessel instead of moving the gun. The
muzzles of the guns will project just
above the deck of the ship, pointing for
ward, while the stationary breech will be
depressed below the water line, just un-
der the pilot house, with which COM
munication will be close and direct
"Mechanical appliances have been per-
fected whereby the loading and firing
can be done by one man at each gun.
The whole work will be done by moving
q lever, which will open the breech and
insert the shell. The breech then being
closed, the turning of an air cock will
let in the compressed air from the
chambers and reservoirs which are kept
constantly charged. The pressure re-
ouired to eject the shells is about 1000
pounds to the square inch, though the
reservoirs will be kept charged to about
1000 pounds pressure.
sIn action the vessel will advance
head on toward the object to be at
tackled until the range is rcacEcd, when
the firing will begin. The shells or tor
pedoes will be hurled at Il pace 100 times
swifter than any of the ordinary torpe-
does that are propelled throw the water
to reach it's objective point, and is not
likely to meet the same distractions that
would be thrown out as projections.
"The shells are cylinders of iron or
steel six to twelve feet long, according
to the size of the charge. Each shell has
wooden or iron taipiece attached to the
butt, provided with metal wings to give
it a rotary motion while in the air and to
steady its flight. Each shell contains a
small electric battery, so arranged as to
open its circuit and explode the dynam-
ite from the relr of the shell fraction OF
time before its actual impact. This IS
necessary, as the explosive force is away
from the point of gnition. If the ex-
plosion occurred at the point of the i'm
pact, it would simply react from the OBJ
iect struck, and do but little of the dam
AGE it is capable of. Still another device
has been perfected to insure an explosion
in case the shell misses solid object,
like a fort or ship, and falls into the
water. A small chamber i'll the shell is
filled with a chemical that generates a
gas the moment it touches water, and
this in turn opens the electric current
and causes an explosion. If the shell
fell close to the vessel the explosion IS
thus likely to be even more destructive
than above the water line.
IA charge of 400 pounds of dynamite
striking the largest iroaclad a'loat, say
f,;r1,, ~, tba docL, would if il did not
disrupt and sink it at once, completely
shatter and disarrange the machinery,
while the fearful conclusion would either
kill or stun every living creature on
board.
"The pneumatic guns will he ready by
the tim. the ship is launched, as We eX-
pcct she will be, about January, 1888:
She will cost, when completed and
armed, $3.50, OOO."